


Feverish

by Kaori (Kayozuki)



Category: BanG Dream! (Anime), BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-11-26 23:44:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20938760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kayozuki/pseuds/Kaori
Summary: Arisa falls ill on practice day, and Kasumi pays her a visit (to take care of her).





	Feverish

Ichigaya Arisa should be in CiRCLE's studio this very moment, practicing with the others for a highly anticipated live that is looming ahead in just a few short days, one that they've been diligently preparing for weeks now.

She should be looking over her music sheet from her keyboard, yelling at Kasumi to focus on the guitar instead of drooling over the bread that Saaya usually brings over. Finalizing the lighting and audio settings with the staff. Heading over to the nearby family restaurant after their session to unwind. To mess around. To have fun, something she has grown accustomed to over time, and now looks forward to everyday.

Instead, she just has to be stuck in bed with a cold. She should be thankful that she is hit with the illness now, rather than on the day of the live, but it doesn't stop the sinking in her chest as she ruminates over what the others are doing right now without her.

Arisa coughs, wincing as her facial muscles protest in response to the motion. Her body is aching, and she can feel her cheeks burning with the flush of fever. Her breath quivers in short, quick gasps every time she inhales, her lungs having no choice but to painfully and rigidly take in the chilled air around her. She can't seem to stop shaking either. It could be because of the air-conditioning… but she has no choice. It was either that, or to melt in this unforgiving summer heat.

"I'll get better..." she repeats to herself every now and then, feebly rubbing away at her arms in a sickly attempt to negate the unsettling chill that continues to run down her spine, as she snuggles under the layers of protective sheets. "I have to..."

A quick glance at the clock informs Arisa that it's already half past three. She sighs. This feels like hell. She'd been drifting in and out of a haphazard state of sleep since morning, and even after taking the medicine, she still hasn't noticed any visible form of improvement. Hopefully the symptoms will subside by tomorrow morning.

Hopefully...

The door creaks slightly, and Arisa swiftly flips her body to face the wall, pretending to be asleep to avoid having to expend the energy to converse with her grandmother. She isn't in the mood for a chat right now, anyway.

"Arisaaa~!"

Her ears perk up in surprise. She could recognize that voice from a mile away. _ Wait, why is she even here in the first place?! _

Arisa rolls back over to see her classmate trotting into the room with a tray, complete with a steaming bowl of noodles and a glass of water, plus more of the medicine that she had taken earlier.

"Kasumi—" she starts, but instantly breaks into a raspy coughing fit, momentarily forgetting that she's unable to speak at the volume she normally does.

Kasumi turns her head from the study table where she just placed the tray on, and rushes over to the bedside, glass of water in hand with a look of concern. Hurriedly, she slides a hand under Arisa's upper back and gently props her into a semi-sitting position, which is enough for her to take small, measured sips from the glass.

"Thank you," she whispers, as Kasumi lowers her back into a comfortable position, readjusting the cold compress that was about to slip off her forehead as she did so.

"Heh heh…" Her classmate looks on triumphantly, wagging a smug finger in Arisa's direction. "That was pretty mature of me, huh?" She then gestures towards the back, adding, "Look, I even made some delicious ramen for you!"

"Thanks for reminding me that I've lost my sense of smell," Arisa says, failing to contain a snort from wheezing through her stuffy nose. The day where Kasumi manages to cook something by herself that isn't plain porridge, will be the day that pigs will learn how to fly. Nevertheless, she holds back on the supposition, and instead asks with a quizzical eyebrow raised, "Did you really prepare it all by yourself? Or are you just stealing the credit from Obaa-chan's work?"

"O-of course I did!" Kasumi helplessly looks off towards the door for a second, almost as if she's expecting a random Saaya to suddenly burst through it to save her. "Well… most of it, anyway."

"Ah." The keyboardist grins, and presses on with the attack. "So I'd assume you boiled the water. Added the noodles. Dumped in an egg which is probably overdone. And Obaa-chan handled the tougher stuff like the pork belly."

"I sprinkled the spring onions too, alright?!"

Arisa breaks into a slow clap, inwardly pleased that she had it guessed right. "A masterchef indeed. A true inspiration to us all. Not just anyone can get the water to go all bubbly."

"Hey… even I know when I'm being made fun of! You meanie!"

"Yes yes, I apologize for deeply hurting your feelings because I spoke the facts, that you're a lousy cook."

Kasumi blows her cheeks out into a pout. That move unfortunately triggers the "cute signal" within Arisa's subconscious, causing her heart to skip a beat, but she forces herself to maintain a stoic face.

"I deserve something in return in that case!"

She rolls her eyes. From her previous experiences, that cannot be a good thing.

"Oi. Shouldn't I be the one requesting for special attention at a time like this?"

"Just give me a head pat, and we'll be even!" Kasumi smiles brightly, easily rebounding back with a chirpy tone.

"You wha—"

But Kasumi already has her chin resting on the fabric of the sheets near Arisa's waist. She takes Arisa's hand and places it on her head. "Now you just need to move your hands back and forth!"

"I know what a pat is!" She hisses, albeit quietly to prevent herself from aggravating her throat again. "Honestly…"

Arisa obliges anyway, weaving her fingers through Kasumi's hair, twirling her thumb around those brown, silky strands. The vocalist makes small noises of contentment as Arisa tenderly massages her scalp, clearly satisfied with the treatment she's receiving.

"Mm… hehe. You do it better than Aa-chan…"

"So why are you here?" Arisa asks the burning question that has been playing on her mind since Kasumi's appearance. "Shouldn't you be at band practice with the rest?"

"I was worried about you, of course!" Kasumi's muffled voice floats up, her face still planted on the mattress. "All you sent to the group was a text message saying you would be missing school and band practice, and to continue on without you. But you never said anything about how you were doing! So I told the others that I would come over to take care of you, while they continue to practice in our stead!"

"Are you sure you came because you were concerned about me? Or is this another ploy of yours to skive off practice...?" Arisa asks suspiciously, narrowing her eyebrows in doubt. 

Secretly, her heart's bouncing on a trampoline, having come to know that Kasumi had prioritized her over an important practice session. That very fact warms her insides, which does a much better job than her blankets against the cold. But of course she isn't going to admit it.

Kasumi's head jerks up, a look of despair etched on her face. "It really was for you, alright?!" she wails, grabbing Arisa's hand that's still on her head, wildly shaking it up and down. "I swear!!!"

"Okay okay! Stop! I believe you!" Arisa croaks in a panic, trying to pull her limp hand from Kasumi's grasp to no avail. "Kasumi!! You're gonna tear my arm off!"

She feels a final tug as Kasumi abruptly stops. She doesn't let go of Arisa's hand though, and instead flips her hand around so that their palms are touching, which allows their fingers to entwine.

"What are you doing now…?"

"Your hand feels hot," Kasumi muses.

"Well of course it does. I'm running a fever, in case you haven't noticed."

"Does my hand feel cold then?"

Arisa tilts her head, wondering where all this is coming from. "Relatively, yeah, I suppose."

"Hmm…"

Kasumi's voice trails off as she stares out of the window with a furrowed brow, putting on her thinking face.

"I hope you're not thinking of something stupid," Arisa mutters darkly. It's optimistic at best though, given Kasumi's track record.

Seconds later, the vocalist's face relaxes, and her eyes starts to twinkle with excitement. "I got it!"

"Let's hear it."

"Didn't our teacher talk about the transfer of heat energy or something recently? I'm helping you cool down by holding your hand. So we should continue doing this until you make a full recovery!

While that would be nice... Arisa's ears heat up as she quickly shoots back. "What are you talking about? That doesn't make any sense scientifically. Besides, even if it did... you'll be stuck here until tomorrow at the earliest."

"I wouldn't mind if it's you though," Kasumi replies almost immediately, as if she hadn't put any thought into her words. Or she had no need to. Either way, that doesn't stop Arisa from breaking eye contact as she looks away pointedly.

"W-w-what the hell are you saying?!"

Kasumi giggles, a cute melody that tinkles throughout the quiet room. "You've a weird smile on your faaace~" 

"Shut up!!!" 

Kasumi doesn't let up and leans forward with a silly grin, continuing to tease her band member. "You should learn to be more honest, y'know!"

"Oh, you really want me to be honest?" Arisa fumes. "Then I'll be honest!"

Her cheeks redden, a firm determination from out of nowhere settling in her gut. Kasumi's sapping away her logic and self-control in the heat of the moment, but she doesn't care any longer. All she wants is to prove Kasumi wrong.

"I love you."

The words spill out of Arisa's lips before she can stop herself. Her heart's pounding so loudly, she's pretty sure Kasumi can hear it too as she stares back in silence, an unfathomable expression plastered on her face. Time seems to have come to a standstill as the possible repercussions hit her a tad too late, leading Arisa to wish for a black hole to materialize from nothingness and swallow her whole.

_ It's over. My reputation is ruined. She's gonna think I'm a weirdo now. _

"Oh! What a coincidence!" Kasumi cheers. "I love you too!"

"Wa-wait what?! It's too early for this— I mean, y-you love me?!" Arisa splutters, not expecting that sort of reply at all.

"Of course! We're good friends, aren't we?"

Arisa freezes, with Kasumi's words furiously whirring in her head. She can feel her brain retrograding to Windows XP as she struggles to get the cogs running in a hopeless attempt to pull herself together.

"Y-yeah..." She breathes softly, feeling as if she would faint from asphyxiation at any given moment. She wants to attribute it to her blocked nose, but it's pretty clear that that isn't the case at all. Then again, Kasumi hasn't realised what she actually meant, so she's safe... 

_ That was too close for comfort. _"Friends... yeah."

"Hmm…" Kasumi begins another round of contemplation, but directs it towards the ceiling this time as she strokes an imaginary beard in her thoughtfulness. "But it isn't really like that either. I want to say the bestest of friends, but even that description doesn't seem quite right…"

"You…" Goosebumps prickles Arisa's skin. It takes all of what little energy she has left to spout the words out. "You don't mean in a romantic sense, right?"

Kasumi blinks. She turns her attention back to the keyboardist, who feels her stomach churning like a washing machine on full blast.

"I honestly don't know," she murmurs after what seems like an eternity. "I'm not experienced with this sort of thing. But does it really matter? All I know is that I love you very much right now. And I always will!"

Kasumi gazes at Arisa with gleaming eyes and shifts her body closer, bringing her into a warm embrace. She sinks her face into her chest and cuddles to make herself comfortable, silently asking her to never let go. Arisa doesn't resist and allows herself to melt into Kasumi's arms, while awkwardly placing her own around the vocalist, knowing that the hug might just end if she doesn't. 

Slowly, she feels her self-consciousness fading away, which brings her at ease. A tranquil phenomenon that she hasn't experienced in a long time.

"Stupid…" she smiles softly, ruffling Kasumi's hair once more. "You're gonna catch a cold if you continue this, y'know."

Kasumi pulls Arisa closer into her warmth, lips brushing against her ear as she whispers, "But I wouldn't mind if it was from you."

Maybe one day, this will become something more.

One day, Arisa promises to herself as she sinks back into her pillows. One day she would lead Kasumi to discover what she already had realized months ago. But for now, she yields to her heavy eyelids, finally allowing sleep to overcome her as the first peaceful breath escapes her lips, with her enamored still in her arms.

**Author's Note:**

> It's been awhile since I last posted something, so do forgive the rustiness! Thanks for reading!


End file.
